The Hillsdale College women's tennis team got off to a strong start against one of the Midwest Region's best teams in a G-MAC Tournament semifinal match on Friday at the Centre Court in Owensboro, Kentucky, but it wasn't enough to upset the top-seeded Dragons as the fifth-seeded Chargers fell, 4-1.
Hillsdale put on an impressive performance in doubles to secure the point and take an early lead in the match. The Chargers' No. 2 doubles team of freshman Ane Dannhauser and junior Courtney Rittel rolled to an easy 6-1 victory, and Hillsdale's No. 3 doubles team of junior Libby McGivern and senior Helana Formentin wasn't far behind in a 6-2 victory that gave Hillsdale a 1-0 advantage.
In singles play, despite a game effort from Hillsdale, it was the Dragons who would come out on top, winning in straight sets at No. 2 singles, No. 3 singles, No. 4 singles, and No. 6 singles to take the match. For the Chargers, Dannhauser played well at No. 1 singles, taking the first set off of Tiffin's Maeva Maxch 6-3 and narrowly dropping a tiebreak 10-8 in the second set, while Rittel also won her first set for Hillsdale at No. 5 singles 6-3. Both matches, however, were halted before they could be finished as Tiffin had already clinched the match.
It's a solid finish to the season despite the loss for the Chargers, who wrap up at 9-14 overall. Hillsdale finished the season strong at the tournament, pulling a first round upset of higher-seeded Walsh and pushing the championship favorite in Tiffin in a well-played match. Hillsdale must replace three graduating seniors next year -- three time All-G-MAC honoree Melanie Zampardo, Formentin and Julia Wagner, who all played in Hillsdale's lineup, but the Chargers retain a solid core to build with, including Dannhauser, the 2024 G-MAC freshman of the year, as well as veteran players in McGivern and Rittel, among others. The Chargers also welcome in reinforcements to the lineup in the form of a three-player incoming freshman class who will look to make an immediate impact.
Photo by Joel Krenz